Yanks' Derek Jeter, fresh off injury, hurt again

New York Yankees' Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki wait to bat during a pitching change by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth inning of their game at Yankee Stadium in New York, July 11, 2013. (REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)

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The Sports Xchange

Jul 12, 2013

, Last Updated: 5:35 PM ET

The New York Yankees hurried Derek Jeter back to the lineup to aid their anemic offense and now will have to wait to see how long the shortstop will be out after straining his quadriceps in his first game back.

Jeter, 39, injured the leg muscle while unsuccessfully trying to beat out a grounder in the fifth inning of Thursday's 8-4 win against the Royals.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Jeter would skip the weekend series against the visiting Minnesota Twins and then be reevaluated after the four-day All-Star break before the schedule resumes on Friday.

"We're going to play it safe for the weekend and see what happens after that," said Cashman. "It could resolve after that time frame, it could take more time. I can't rule out ultimately a disabled list."

Cashman said the Yankees had been poised to bring Jeter up to the Bronx on Friday, but decided to activate him for Thursday's game as designated hitter after minor injuries to DH Travis Hafner and outfielder Brett Gardner in Wednesday's game.

"It was my call to move him up, based on what occurred in our game," Cashman told reporters before Friday's game against the Twins.

"I thought it was a safe harbor because it was a DH situation and all the reports were he was running extremely well and responding well.

"But obviously the intensity at Yankee Stadium and the major league environment is obviously more, and stuff can happen."

Jeter was playing his first game of the season after fracturing his ankle in last October's American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers and then breaking the ankle angle during spring training.

Cashman said he did not think he was putting Jeter at much risk by bringing him up early to serve as designated hitter.

"It's not something that entered my mind in any way that he could actually blow a tire in running the bases," he said. "He could do it down there as well as up here.